No new world order after coronavirus exits, UN’s role to weaken, predicts Iranian diplomat
The diplomat believes that the crisis will open wounds that had developed long before the pandemic
MOSCOW, April 21./TASS/. The coronavirus pandemic won’t cause the downfall of the existing world order, but the role of the UN that has proven itself incapable of effectively countering the crisis, will be declining, Mehdi Sanaei, the Iranian foreign minister’s senior advisor said on Tuesday.
"It is too early to speak about the establishment of a new world order, since despite all the hardship that it has inflicted upon mankind, this crisis is not that destructive to elevate a new world order on the ashes of the old one," Sanaei said in an article for the Valdai International Discussion Club.
The diplomat believes that the crisis will open wounds that had developed long before the pandemic. "The UN will be getting weaker. Discord between the US and to a certain extent Europe on the one hand, as well as China on the other hand, will continue to grow," said Sanaei, who was Ambassador to Russia in 2013-2019. The diplomat stressed that the world order "strayed off track a long time ago," while the model of international relations preached by the US has proven bankrupt.
The pandemic also emphasized the role of a strong state, but at the same time highlighted a need for nations to cooperate in the face of global challenges. According to the Iranian diplomat, the world will soon cope with the difficulties caused by coronavirus, and soon a race between pharma companies working on a coronavirus vaccine will intensify.
In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus — named COVID-19 by the WHO — have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia.
On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. According to the latest statistics, over 2,484,000 people have been infected worldwide and more than 170,000 deaths have been reported. In addition, so far, over 652,000 individuals have recovered from the illness across the globe.